[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Nathan lets out a sigh of relief.  He wasn't sure how that would go exactly...because that could have been much, much worse based on his prior experiences with the topics at hand.

"Yeah, I agree, Shiva.  It's only a matter of time before we'll have to go there.  I just hope these issues with the Eye don't become as much of an immediate problem as Deoxys was in the meantime..."

That probably sends a chill down Ventus's spine despite the lack of context for what exactly the Eye is.

"As you said, though, Ven, we should be able to handle whatever happens.  I have the Sword.  Shiva has the Shield.  I think Heart and Terra were talking with the League about the Helm and Hauberk.  Should be fine.  Of course, I don't really want to use the Sword unless it's absolutely necessary...should be nothing to worry about, though...*ahem*..."

Ven's question about the digiduck nicely changes the topic, though.   "Hm?  Oh, yeah, Porygon-Z.  It's settled down a little recently actually.  Still a little loopy, obviously, but that's the case for all of them, I'm sure.  I'm actually planning on running some Conversion drills with them at some point to see if it can reduce the randomness of it further with a little more practice.  That, and I'm also planning to ask Pulse (remember that mischievous Rotom?) to help them with learning Trick.  Trying to find an outlet for Pulse's mischief still.  Had an idea before the Deoxys stuff happened, but...well, my original plans fell through due to various reasons.  Maybe next time."  Nathan shrugs.

The overall mood is definitely much lighter and less tense after that topic change, though.  Phew.

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As for the trade, since Ventus doesn't have a 'dex on him, Nathan can easily FLY/Teleport them to the nearest Center so they can do the temporary exchange, so doing the trade now isn't an issue at all.

I bet Seadra can't wait to evolve!  Lucifer's a good choice for the trade as well, imo, since:
a) He's a well trained dragon, which should show Seadra that Ventus knows his stuff about Dragons already
b) Lucifer also (presumably) likes Nathan since the trainer did help save his life after the Seikemater incident.  That should help smooth things over for both Dragons, too.

Between those and the Ancestry bonus, I'm hoping Seadra doesn't lose any Loyalty during the trade.  In particular, I'm actually hoping that Seadra gains some Loyalty since Nathan's been prompt about keeping the promise he made to help evolve them, but that's the GM's call to make, obviously.

The boy's deescalating tension brought a gentler smile to his lips, happy to see his handling of the....sensitive topic has put them at ease. It was.....hard not to be more.....descriptive and emotive about the revelations they brought him, but he somehow managed to regardless. Which considering his delicate mental state was quite the feat!

When they brought up The Eye, though, Ventus face went immediately blank as white canvas.

"The Eye, you say. Pray tell, does it have anything to do with the trouble you're expecting to plague us or the group in the near future? Because if so, that is rather uncanny , for I recall receiving a fortune of the future from that Fortune Teller in Ginger Town that implied much the same as you do. At the time I was concerned about it, but didn't have enough information to act on these visions or the information from them in any way, but as the visions came to pass and recent events I've observed.....well, perhaps it is time for to do so."

Yikes. That isn't ominous at all.

Terra's inclusion into the conversation causes the empathetic researcher's lips to briefly twitch, though, no matter how hard he tried resisting the urge to scowl.

"....From what he told me about that......matter and despite my requests for him to do so, Terra is still.....reluctant about taking the Artifact from that vile archmage , due to.....issues of conflicting trust and ownership of it. Doesn't think anyone but that man deserves to wield it, and loathes the very thought of taking away what is......rightfully theirs , unworthy such a blasphemous and heinous individual that man is. "

"*Sighs* Honestly, that stupid sense of honor and easily given fairness and respect for others is quite a vexing trait of that foolish man. It's one of the reasons why he was my first choice of replacement for myself in the event I had to leave, but it is so inconvenient at the worst of times or situations. *Waves a hand* In any case, if you want him to have that Artifact, you'll have to find some way to convince him. I've certainly tried, to not luck myself, so its your turn now to deal with him about this."

Yeah....things are still touchy between Ven and Terra. Nathan would be pretty certain that the eccentric scientist would actually fire that man or do something about them for the whole Scimitar debacle they caused, but due to their Hero status and now beings close friends to the rest of the group, his hands are tied from taking such actions.

The conversation being redirected back to Porygon Z causes a nice U-turn in his mood, though, bringing a slight smile to his lips despite The Eye most recent mention. "Delightful! And yes, all Porygon-Z are a bit....weird, but I've heard researcher are trying to find ways to remedy that. No success so far, but they might make a breakthrough someday. *Beat* Conversion training to iron out its quirks, hmm? Well, that's certainly one way of doing it, but have you thought of maybe getting a coder to try and create programs that they can Download to gain immediate and complete control over the Move, or at least speed up the learning process? One benefit of the Porygon line is that they can quickly acquire experience and advancement through technological and electronic means, so if you know somebody that can do the task and can compensate them for the trouble...."

"*Frowns* Pulse? Ah, yes, the Rotom you adopted. Hmm....if you want an outlet for their mischievous tendencies and as a method to help further solidify your bond with them, you could try setting up controlled situations were it can use its powers to prank people. Nothing makes Ghosts like them happier than spooking or messing with someone and having a laugh about it, so that's one bonding method I can think of. The other is sending them to Dagny to, ah, teach them some discipline, but I'm not sure that would entirely be a good idea for her or them."

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And C) The Bonding Ritual between him and Ventus pretty much allows for the researcher to perfectly convey the info he wants to them, so explaining the Round Trade should be easy and smooth!

Additionally, Ven would ask if Nathan could possibly share the Legendary HMs with him to teach his own Pokemon, as he'd like to have them for his own purposes of convenience and research. Having his family knowing them would come in handy for the upcoming mission at the very least!

If you wish, I can actually have Ventus talk with Seadra about this whole Round Trade and inform them about his Evo, if you wish. Could even have him bring out his Kingdra for them to 'ask' them any questions about what its like to be one, as by this point in the campaign he's most likely had the free time and resources to make them completely Loyal to him now (and therefore not get into trouble / blast people/Pokemon) !